This invention relates to a new and useful apparatus that combines the accuracy and precision of a net weight filler with the speed and economy of a volumetric filler. Heretofore, net weight fillers consisted of means for filling a hopper or other receiving means with a product to a preset weight at which time the product was discharged into a waiting container. It is well known that filling of containers with product by weight is more accurate than filling by volume. The basic reason that filling by weight is more accurate than filling by volume is that a change in density of the product is directly reflected in the weight of the product; this is not so when filling by volume.
The filling of containers by the net weight process, though basically very accurate, is much slower than the volumetric process. The volumetric process is less efficient in that it does not compensate for density change of the product and when filling there is generally an overflow that is not recoverable.
Heretofore, as far as I know, no one has combined the efficiency and accuracy of the net weight filler with the speed and economy of a volumetric filler for simultaneously filling a plurality of containers.
In the food as well as other industries it is encumbent upon a manufacturer to accurately weigh the contents which he packages for public use. If the package is underweight, he can easily incur the wrath of local and/or state and/or federal authorities under various consumer fraud acts. If the manufacturer fills his package with an excess of material, he is losing money in that he is giving away product. The smaller the weight the more difficult it is to meet packaging standards. This is true because a more delicate scale is required as the weight diminishes. Also, when the material is not liquid or granular, but of a solid shape such as peanuts and the like, it is difficult to accurately premeasure a small net weight quantity in that an individual particle of product becomes a greater percentage of net weight. However, if a plurality of packages or containers are to be filled simultaneously, then the weight of the product in the plurality of containers does not require a scale as delicate as would be if one container was to be filled.
My invention as disclosed hereinafter enables the simultaneous filling of a plurality of containers by net weight. My apparatus combines the accuracy of the net weight filler with the speed and economy of the volumetric filler. It further enables the simultaneous filling of a plurality of containers wherein the net weight of the contents in each container is a fraction of an ounce without the necessity of using delicate and expensive scales.
The present invention is an innovation in the art of weighing product for simultaneous filling into a plurality of containers.
The present invention is the first to combine in a simple apparatus the accuracy of the net weight fillers with the speed and efficiency of the volumetric process.